Soldering iron



Aug. 17, 1948. f1 c. BITMNBURGER 2,447,110

SOLDERING IRON Filed May l5, 1944 v -ms Patented Aug. 17, 1948 UN I T IEID STAT E S PAT E NT' GF 2,447,110

SOLDERINGY IRON Frank C, Bitzenburger, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 15, 1944, Seria-1` No..535,629

4 Claims. l

Myfpresent invention relates to a soldering iron, and particularly to one in which solder is automatically Afed to thesoldering portion of the iron. This application is a continuation inpart of pat-- ent application, Serial No. 489,996, led June rI, 1943-, now abandoned;

One` of the principal objects ofY this invention is to=provide a novel improvement in a soldering iron, in which solder in the-amount `desiredor required is applied or fed to the soldering por-tion oil the4 soldering element so that theA soldering operation may be carried out economically inthe use of` solder and time, and further sothat the soldering operation may be carried out with one hand.

Another important object of this invention, is to. provide a soldering iron of this class, in which solder is applied or fed to the soldering element inthe form of pellets or small pieces containing approximately the amount of solder desired-or required. for the soldering operation, and inr which there is provided a pocket or enlargement forV the reception of pelletts or pieces of solder in which they may be-melted before being conducted` or fed to-thesoldering portion of the iron, and inwhich Y theA pocket or recess is so positioned within the conducting or feeding channel that theV soldering iron may be tilted at considerable angles forward;- ly or backwardly, or rotated in anyposition` about its. longitudinalA axis, Without discharging the meltedsolder from said pocket or recess.

An important objectialso of this invention is to provide a novel discharge passage at the soldering portion of. the iron whereby the iron may be heldV withA its` soldering portion in an extreme down- Wardly directed position Without the discharging; of the solder before the same is melted.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a soldering iron of this class in which the melted solder will not cohere to the surface of or amalgamate with any portion of the solder conducting channel or passage, and thus willin no` 2 combination, and arrangement of pai-.ts` and, por.- tions, fas will behereinafter described indetailv and. particularly set forth inthe appended; claims,y reference being had. to the accompanying draw ings. and to the characters of', reference thereon',V

which form a part of this application, intvvhich,-

Fig. 1 is a side View of an electric solderingiron embodying my invention;

Eig.,2. is a top view of the soldering end there of;

Fig, 3 is an. enlargedl fragmentary seetionalview' of the soldering end of my soldering iron, with` the section taken through 3-3of Fig. 2;`

Figs. 4 and 5. are transverse sectional.. views I thereof, taken through 4,-4v and 5,-5.of. 1,

showing primarily the feed control means` of my soldering iron;

Figs. 6 and'l are enlarged fragmentary sectional views thereof, with the sections taken. through 6 5 and 1 1, of Fig. 5, also showing primarily-Y the feed control means of rnv-solderingiron.

The soldering iron shown in` Fig. 11 resenrblesY the conventional electric soldering iron, and cer-4 tain parts, suchV asY theelectric heating element I., the shank 2, and the positioning and shieldmember 3, may be identical withv thecorresponding elemen-ts of the conventional soldering iron,

Thesoldering; heador element 4, shown. in` Figs- 1, 2, and` 3, is secured to the end of. the, heating element. by a screw la, and issimilar in sizeand.l shape to thatk of. the conventional electric soldering iron, exceptY that this element is provided with an enlargement, abutment, or branch 4e at` the upper side of itsforward end. This enlargement, abutment, or branch 4a contains a. solder.- ing pellet-receiving chamber, which I have. re.- ferred to as a, trap, and which is adapted to.. receive pellets or small. pieces of solderingmaterial,` designated 5, through a tube. E, this tube extendf ingbackwardly :above the electricheating. elementl` I., through the'shield 3to and into the handle or grip 1 which is, of special construction, as willV be hereinafter described.

The whole of thetube E, the walls of thefpelletfeeding passage, and-the Walls of the pellet-receiveing and melting chamber in the passage may be; made o f solder-amalgamation or solder-cohesion resisting material. If, however, the tube: it be: made of steel, iron, or similar material with which solder amalgamates or to which it. coheres, it: isi iittedwith, a specialtubular tip 3, as shown in the drawings. Thistipis made ofmaterialwith which; solder, and' particularly melted solder, does. not amalgamate,v or to which thef solder: does. not. cchere.y Thus; the solder pellet feeding, passage.

3 cannot be readily clogged and thereby rendered inoperative.

This construction also permits the tip 8 to be readily removed for `cleaning the same, if for any reason it becomes wholly or partially clogged.

Such material may be an ordinary grade of aluminum. I have found, however, in time, because of impurities in the solder, because of the particular grade of solder, and also because of the particular alloy metals or impurities in the aluminum, the solder will amalgamate with or cohere to the walls of the passage of the tip 8.

A more satisfactory material to repel such amalgamation or resist such cohesion is a heatresisting glass.

Other materials of which such tip may be made, are alloys of aluminum containing manganese, copper, magnesium, and the like.

Such tip is preferably made of a tubular tip member 8a Iand a nipple Bb. These members are inserted in a bore lib which extends longitudinally with respect to the soldering element li, or slightly angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the soldering element, as shown in Fig. 3. This tip is retained in position by a set screw 9.

As shown, the tip member 8a has a reduced forward end 8c whichhas a tapered bore Bd, which is reduced from its inner to its forward or outer ends. The outer ends of the reduced portion 8c and of the bore 8d terminate at the forward end of the soldering element Il. Intermediate the ends of the tip member is an enlarged bore 8e, which is concentric with the bore 3d. This enlargement is the solder melting chamber.

The nipple Bb is reduced and threaded :at the opposite ends, one threaded end, 8f, extending into the inner or rear end of the tip member Ii@ and the other threaded end, 8g, being screwed into the forward end of the tube This nipple has an axial bore 8h which is smaller in diameter than the melting chamber 3e, the rear end of the bore 8h being preferably tapered to merge with the walls of the tube 6, as shown. The forward end of the nipple 8u is preferably bevelled, as shown, to form a backwardly bevelled channel around the forward end of the nipple, thereby better to prevent the melted solder in the melting chamber from passing backwardly through the nipple into the tip I3 even though the soldering end of the soldering iron is pointed upwardly. Such construction provides a trap to prevent return of melted solder to the pellet feeding passage.

The tapered bore 8d facilitates the dropping of the soldering pellets into the same, but holds the same therein until such pellets are melted.

The handle or grip 'I' is secured, such as by a screw 2a, to the rear end of the shank 2, and in this manner is held in fixed relation with respect to the soldering element. This handle contains a longitudinal bore la which provides a magazine for storing the soldering pellets 5. The rear end of the magazine may be closed by means of a cap or plug IIE. At the forward end of the handle 'l is a, transverse bore 'ib which intersects the magazine bore la. In the bore 'lb is reciprocally mounted a feed plunger or button II, which may be readily vdepressed with the thumb of the right hand used in gripping the handle 1. The plunger or button II is normally forced outwardly by a compression spring I2, but is prevented from being expelled from the handle or grip, by means of a screw I 3 which performs manifold functions. The inner end I3a of this screw extends into an elongated groove IIa in the shank of the plunger or button II for guiding and limiting the movements of the latter. The screw I3 is in axial alignment with the magazine bore la, and, in addition to guiding and preventing the removal Vof the button II, it is designed to prevent the pellets in the magazine from being forced or discharged from the bore in greater numbers than one at a time. The shank of the button II is provided with a transverse hole IIb which is located at the inner end of the groove I I a. This hole I I'D, when the lbutton is in its outer position, is aligned with the magazine bore 'Ia so that a pellet 5 in the magazine may enter the hole IID and engage the limiting or inner end ItEL of the screw i3. The shank of the button II is also provided with a hole or notch IIC which extends downwardly from the groove I I a and substantially coplanar with the hole IIb. This hole or notch I Ic, when the button is forced inwardly, is positioned opposite or in line with :a hole 1 in the handle, and permits the pellet 5, located or confined in the hole IIb and which has passed the inner end of the screw I3, to drop into the notch lic, thence through the hole l into a out-out portion 5' at the upper side of the portion of the tube which extends into the handle, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The hole` or slot 5a is preferably elongated so as to take care of any variation in length of soldering tips or elements II.

The screw I3 may be adjusted to take care of the Variation in sizes of the soldering pellets or perhaps to determine whether one or more of such pellets should be fed from the magazine to,

the soldering element. The outer end of the screw may be provided with an index portion or ridge |31 to indicate the adjusted position thereof, and the surrounding wall of the end of the handle or grip may be provided with numerals 'Id to facilitate the adjustment of the screw I3.

The handle 'I may `be provided with longitudinal magazines or bores 'la at its opposite sides for containing therein solder pellets of different sizes. The forward ends of the tip of said bores may have buttons II for feeding the solder pel-- l.. In a `soldering iron, a soldering element having a substantially longitudinal tubular` passage therein, said passage extending to near the soldering end of the element and provided intermediate the forward and rear portions of the passage with an enlargement, the forward end of said rear portion extending forwardly of the rear end of the enlargement forming an undercut recess backwardly from said forward end of the rear portion of the passage, said enlargement being 'so constructed and arranged with respect to said passage as to retard outward iiow of melted solder and prevent backward flow.

2. In a soldering iron, a soldering element, a tubular means longitudinally positioned and secured therein and extending from the soldering to the opposite end thereof, said tubular means comprising a tubular tip and a feed tube, said tip having a reduced end extending through the soldering end, said reduced end having a small bore with a diametrical enlargement at its inner end, said feed tube being fitted into the enlargement of the tip and provided with a bore smaller than said enlargement, the forward end of the feed tube being spaced from the inner end of the small bore of the tip.

3. In a soldering iron, a soldering element having a shank, a handle secured to the shank, said handle having a soldering pellet feeding passage, said shank having in association therewith a similar passage offset with respect to the passage in the handle, and a pellet feeding member reciprocally mounted in association with the handle and provided with a transverse port capable of being normally aligned with the passage in the handle for receiving a pellet therefrom and capable of being shifted in alignment with the passage in association with the shank whereby said pellet may be directed from the handle passage to the passage in the pellet feeding member.

4. In a soldering iron, a soldering element having a shank, a handle secured to the shank, said handle having a soldering pellet feeding passage, said shank having in association therewith a similar passage offset with respect to the passage in the handle, and a pellet feeding member reciprocally mounted in a transverse direction in association with the handle and provided with transverse ports positioned at right angles to each other, one port being normally in alignment with the passage in the handle for receiving a pellet therefrom, and the other port being shiftable in alignment with the passage in association with the shank whereby said pellet may be directed into the second port and into the latter passage.

FRANK C. BITZENBURGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,127,970 Dryfoos Feb. 9, 1915 1,691,052 Fay s Nov. 13, 1923 1,957,325 Davis May 1, 1934 1,232,734 Tilton July 10, 1917 1,277,793 Wall Sept. 3, 1918 2,175,100 Albert Oct. 3, 1939 2,274,413 Ingerson Feb. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,928 France Aug. 7, 1911 398,543 France June 7, 1909 577,204 France Sept. 2, 1924 

